Anarchy Reigns

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List Price: $29.95
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Anarchy Reigns was originally set to launch in North America early-mid 2012, but it was then delayed until 2013, even though the game was finished. While the game was really close to cancellation for North America, a date was finally set, but it was a long wait to endure. However, the wait is over and Anarchy Reigns is here, but was it worth it? Two words: Hell yes!

Anarchy Reigns is a 3D brawler at its core that combines brawling and fighting like God Hand or Fist of the North Star, hence my comparison to those games. But the difference is that Anarchy Reigns has the unique and quirky flavor of Platinum and Sega games. While everything that makes a Platinum game their own is on display, it also feels like one of those gems you'd play on the Sega Dreamcast back in the day.

The single player campaign has two interwoven plots, offering two different characters to play as (Jack Cayman, Leonhardt "Leo" Victorion), which allows you to play in two different ways with two different takes. This gives you replayability for the single player content. Speaking of the single player, you're given hub world environments to roam around, beat up bad guys, collect things, and just have fun in-between the story and side missions, so it's not just a straight up linear mission-to-mission game, but it's also not a large open world, just hub environments that give you a little more sense of freedom.

The other part of the package is the multiplayer, which is truly unique and unlike anything else out there. It's fast and hectic, but it all performs admirably online and hasn't been plagued with issues or anything from my experience. While there are some incredibly skilled players out there, I'm not one of them yet, but it's even fun to play when you're losing. It's just so different, which leads me to believe this'll maintain a community for a good while. There are a bunch of different modes to enjoy in the multiplayer package, which includes the established modes like DM and TDM. You can choose from 16 different characters in multiplayer, all of which have their own fighting styles, signature kill moves, etc.

Also, since I haven't mentioned it yet, I must say that the combat in this game is awesome. You could compare this game to Madworld, but it's really a lot deeper and more satisfying in terms of the combat. It's almost impossible to say how it feels, as it feels entirely different depending on who you're playing as, but if you're playing as Jack Cayman, the game's combat is meaty and focused on more of a brawler style, but you can play as one of the more quick and agile characters in multiplayer, which includes Bayonetta if you pre-ordered the game elsewhere. Hopefully SEGA will release Bayonetta as DLC sometime in the near future for everyone else.

As far as the graphics go, Anarchy Reigns isn't the most beautiful game or anything, but it gets the job done. Also, lip syncing doesn't sync up perfectly since the mouths animate with the Japanese VO and they just put English VO in without reanimating the mouths on the characters. The animation work, though, is spectacularly well done, and I don't want to imagine the work they put into all 16 characters.

Anarchy Reigns is a new IP that's fresh and interesting, as it offers something new to gamers who are sick and tired of the status quo. This is a ridiculously fun game that offers a meaty single player with two campaigns, an online multiplayer that isn't an FPS, and just a load of fun for anyone wanting some originality. It certainly has its comparisons to God Hand (Anarchy Reigns developers worked on this), Fist of the North Star (which hasn't had a good game), and Madworld (Same developer, one of the same main characters), but this does it so well and brings it to the online arena, allowing you to share the fun with other gamers worldwide. Bravo, Platinum Games, bravo!

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One of the most memorable, and simultaneously one of the stupidest, games of the 1990's was Data East's "Two Crude Dudes" (known in Japan under the equally as moronic title, "Crude Buster.") It focused on two steroid-riddled macho men punching, kicking and burping their way across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In today's gaming marketplace, a game like that wouldn't succeed. Nor would any of the other legendary 90's brawlers, with their outlandish characters, ridiculous assortment of enemies, and simplistic narratives.

But deep down, many gamers look back to the good old days when you didn't need complex moral dilemmas and yet another new, complicated RPG mechanic slapped onto a game to be great, and wish a game would come along with all the charm of yesterday and the polish of today. Platinum Games, easily one of the best developers of the past decade, has heard those wishes. Now, like a line of code from the 90's put through a contemporary processor, "Anarchy Reigns" has exploded onto the gaming landscape. If you like video games, or just like having fun, then you should pay attention.

A follow-up to 2009's fun but deeply flawed "MadWorld", Platinum's newest game once again puts you in the steel-toed boots of Jack Cayman, who has taken to haunting bars and getting into fights within the ruins of Earth. His world takes a turn for the crazy, however, when he bumps heads with a group of Russian special agents who are hunting a man who Cayman has also been pursuing. From here, he gets in all sorts of trouble, whether it's being attacked by the deranged pimp Blacker Baron from "MadWorld" (complete with his sarcastic "partner" Mathilda), or getting aided by a giant man in robotic bull armor known only as Big Bull. Despite some apprehension about whether or not this was a sequel to Jack's previous adventure from fans, let me assure you that this is a true sequel, and it expands upon him as a character more than his previous game ever did.

Aside from the follow-up to "MadWorld", players are also allowed to control pretty-boy Leo, who stars in his very own campaign. As you play through the game, you'll unlock more characters to be used in different modes, and the single-player campaign will put you in control of other characters aside from the one you picked. Anybody to say this game lacked variety on the character front would be sorely mistaken.

What really makes this game stand out isn't its story, though. While the dialogue is top-notch, and keeps you engaged between punching dudes into bloody mush, the real star of this show is the gameplay. Finally, a developer has hearkened back to what made 90's brawlers such compelling affairs. The main combos are somewhat repetitive, but it doesn't really matter when they work so well and cause devastation on an unprecedented scale. If uppercutting a guy into the air, using your motor-power arm to smash him pieces onto the pavement, then whipping out a chainsaw to dismember all of his friends sounds like something that will get old to you, then maybe this isn't the game for you. For the rest of us, the combat is rock-solid, and every punch is immensely satisfying.

If this were merely a great brawler, then it would be a recommended purchase. Platinum, always ready to please, has thrown that idea out the window and decided to combine every genre possible. There are third-person shooting missions that are so much fun, with gunplay so fast, furious and tightly controlled, that you're going to want to play them again. Then there's the racing missions, where you speed around on buggies equipped with flame-throwers, doing laps while running over dozens upon dozens of bad guys. That's not even mentioning the first-person turret sequences, and the ability to hi-jack helicopters before throwing them into the ground for a gigantic explosion. "Anarchy Reigns" decides to be a grab-bag of genres, and unlike most games with this approach (looking at you, "Yakuza: Dead Souls"), it actually works. In fact, it doesn't just work, it excels, and does better than whole games dedicated to just one of those genres.

And the best part about this? It's an open-world game. Jack and Leo run across hub worlds which aren't too cramped, but not too sprawling either. At any given time, you can be bombarded with missiles, flocked by enemies, or stampeded by several foes that are five times larger than the player character. There's even a weather system thrown into the mix, ensuring that every time you roam around the hub world, finding missions and beating up baddies, it's not going to be the same.

Another thing that makes this game special is just how well-done the side missions are. There are no tedious missions, ones that you're forced to replay just to wrack up points for the sole purpose of progressing to the next mission. You'll find yourself wanting to redo some things for a higher score, or just because you want to play them again. The aforementioned racing mission, or a mission which requires you to bash through parasites while being assaulted by a Kraken in a sunken city, come to mind. Platinum has obviously played enough open-world games to know that most side-missions are stale, cut-and-paste affairs, and even the most rudimentary ones in "Anarchy Reigns" are still a bloody good time. You can also replay them as many times as you'd like for point bonuses and such, which is an added pleasure.

These worlds are a pleasure to run around in, too, thanks to how good this game looks. The art direction fully embraces the absurd dialogue and plot points, making a post-apocalyptic dystopia that looks straight out of an early 90's Saturday morning cartoon. The character models are also great, with macho men bulging with veins, buxom ladies with curves and style, and villains that ooze pure evil. A nice little touch is that when you switch hub worlds, the enemies patrolling them change due to being affiliated with a different faction. Little touches like this make the game stand heads-and-shoulders above the rest, and coupled with the raw graphical horsepower Platinum Games has at their disposal, you're left with a game that is perpetually easy on the eyes.

Yet another positive thing about this game is the music. This isn't a "the music is very pleasing to the ears, and fits the game well" compliment, like so many typically are. No, this game has a downright exceptional score, with every mission and side mission, as well as every hub world, possessing a different song. These songs are electronica, rap and rock, predominately, and all top-notch entries into their respective genres. In fact, I'd go a step further to say that the songs from this game could be released as a stand-alone album, with no game as a companion, and do remarkably well. Don't be surprised if the songs from this are stuck in your head for months, nor if you're rocking out to them several years from today.

One little aside I'd like to point out, and this is purely subjective, is that the game is charmingly equal with its approach to the genders of characters. For every woman with double-D's in a skintight catsuit, there's a pretty boy or chiseled badass for the ladies. This seems like a weird thing to compliment a game on, but I really think it's a nice touch from a developer who was (erroneously) accused of sexism with "Bayonetta." Whether this is an answer to those moronic accusations or not, I don't know, but I do think it's pretty nice to see a studio doing this. Both genders should have some pretty faces to look at, in my opinion.

Platinum Games has taken their prowess from years of game design, incorporated elements of several genres into one package, then set them all loose in an ever-shifting open world. With loads of replay value, tons of multiplayer modes, and an always-peaked level of action, "Anarchy Reigns" takes everything we loved about cheesy 90's games and cartoons, then matches them with a game that can stand head-and-shoulders next to current AAA-caliber titles. It's a triumphant return from one of gaming's elite studios, and you owe it to yourself to play it.

Story: 9 (Zany and ridiculous, but intentionally so.)

Gameplay: 10 (Several genres at once, all executed brilliantly, with two campaigns)

Graphics: 9 (Ripped out of a Saturday morning cartoon, and look effing great)

Music: 10 (A bunch of top-notch entries into a bunch of genres)

Overall: 9.5 (A truly exceptional game, and a great start to 2013)

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i love this game and and normally i would have given it 4 stars out of 5 because of the single player aspect but they really tried to deliver a good story line which isn't that bad except for the up and down difficultly of single player so missions will be super easy and others are godly hard with no progression between two or nothing leading up to it. however there whole points system to get from one mission to the next needs to be reworked so you can do missions back to back. now for the pros this game has one of the best multiplayers for a fighter that i have ever seen if you like the power stone series this is for you because it reminds me so much of power stone and i been dying for another game like power stone. they have several moods that will keep you and your friends entertained. that being said this is a must buy!!!! even if you just want to check it out its at a good price so why not buy it. its the best 30 i spent on a game in a long time and i'm hoping this isn't one of those great games that fly under the radar each year and people pick it up years later like this is a great game

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For those looking for deep and well thought out story and single-player game, my advice is to look elsewhere. Anarchy Reigns is a multi-player game masquerading as a something more, trust me it is not. The single-player campaign is tacked on and merely used to familiarize yourself with the controls and to unlock the additional characters for the numerous multi-player modes within and should be completed in 6-10 hours. However, Anarchy Reigns is filled with colorful and over the top characters, hilarious cut scene dialog, and more violence than an 80's action flick. Controls are simple (maybe too simple) but enjoyable, the graphics will much to be desired, there is no local multi-player (online only) confusingly, and the single-player with as story seemed like it was written in under 2 hrs on someone's fan fiction page.

However, I enjoyed it every step of the way. Anarchy Reigns will not make any website's top 10 list for 2013, but it is a good good guilty pleasure. For its price $29.99 it makes no apologies for not being a flagship title and should be enjoyed in its own right.

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I must said that this is the great beat' em up game i ever played since Streets of rage. Similar to Mad world except it going to the next level and deeper, It have a good Campaign & great multiplayer. The Campaign have two side of the story, you either the black side or white side with different story and different characters you encounter and unlock for the multiplayer and training mode which is cool. Also beware in mulitplayer, if you go into multiplayer for the first time, you will get alot of beating but as you keep playing the game and train your character of your choice, your get better at it and you will enjoy the multiplayer not to mention that there it ton of multiplayer modes too including Death ball, tag team deathmatch, survival, dogfight (If you pre order it at gamestop, if not probably release it as a DLC), etc. The multiplayer is like a mix of various of games i play including: Madworld, Super Smash Brother, Power Stone, Fist Of the North Star, some Vanquish (by some characters, not the gameplay) and God Hand. And also for the one who wonder how the gameplay is in Anarchy Reigns, go on youtube and look up "Super Best Friends Brawl: Anarchy Reigns" i hope it help you all out and this is how i heard of this game and probably i heard of it before the video upload. Overall, buy this game, it fun, great multiplayer, and good amount of character you can play as and it only 29$, now that a steal right there especially the people who like Madworld and God Hand, which i play both myself and enjoy it.

Btw if the you hear major critics like gamespot review this game and said that "there is no move list for the character in the pause menu" or something like that, it a simple, button mashing, beat' em up game not a serious fighting game get it right, there a move list on training mode depend on character you play as.